Monday, June 23, 2008

Fixing Mistakes with the Colorless blender

I have been swamped since I got back from Seattle, so I'm sorry if it's taking me longer to answer e-mails than usual. We are also packing for a large show down in LA that will be happening July 3-6, Anime Expo, so I'm going to also be a bit preoccupied getting ready for that show for the next week, then it's packing for CHA and the Certification Classes in Milwaukee and Chicago. Summer is just sooo busy! Hopefully we'll see some of you this summer at one of our events.

Today I wanted to share a quick technique that goes right along with the bricks from Friday. This is a very simple but important trick to keep up your sleeve when you're coloring with Copic markers.

One of the qualities of the Colorless blender is that it pushes color- think of pushing your hand through sand and the sand piles up in front of your hand. That's why the bricks worked- it pushed the darker color out from the middle of each brick and made a thick ring around your shape.

So how can we use this to our benefit? I could push color around to fix mistakes. This poor snail was not colored very carefully. I used YG41, BV31, and YR31 and as you can see, the BV and the YR went out of the lines. No worries, this is where my colorless blender comes in to fix my sloppy work.

To fix coloring mistakes:1. Color from the outside and "push" your color back into the stamped image. Don't color over the stamped line, color up to the stamped line. The dye is building up in front of your blender and creating a small ridge of color. The trick is to hide this ridge under the stamped line. See how the BV31 fixed right up on the first push? we got lucky with that color. The YR31 still has a ways to go, soooo...

2. Let it dry and repeat. This step might need to be repeated a few times, but you have to let it dry completely before trying it again, or else the marker will move too much and make a mess of the colored area. When you're doing this trick be sure to keep absorbent scratch paper under your work to catch any stray ink you push around.

Also, some colors will be easier to erase than others. After 3 or 4 repeats the YR31 still has a faint trace left, but no where near as bad as before. I can hide this with my ground shadow very easily now, before it would have looked really bad. If you do get a faint ridge inside the stamped line, just color back over the whole area with that same color. This will hide those small mistakes.Stamp: Slippery Snail by Stampabilities, Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Ink: Memento Ink, London Fog

10 comments:

I use this technique after I outline images with a shadow.Sometimes I want it to be a sharp gray edge; so I outline my colored image with my W3 or whatever and then go back with my colorless to outline/push in the gray. When the gray pulls in it give a nice, THIN sharp shadow instead of a thicker, softer edge that the brushtip applies on its own.Thanks, Ms. M {aka the Copic Goddess}! Nicole

Thanks! I think a lot of use Newbies were very curious on how exactly to make that blender pen work! Love the tips! Maybe it should have a new name ~ like color corrector. Since it doesn't seem to work like any 'blender' I've ever tried before...

When I was playing this weekend ~ I found something cool using my Warm Grays ~ I colored with W5 & then 'dotted' with W1 & it gave me awesome sunflower seeds! I so love these babies!Have a safe travels!

I can't live without my blender to "erase" my mistakes. I have found that it helps to blow on the area as you erase, it helps the blender ink stay where you are erasing, rather than running into the colored area. Especially with Reds, they seem to run so easily and take more work to erase. Great tutorial, Marianne.

I tried this last night except I didn't have anywhere to push the color. I made a mark on my paper and needed it to disappear. It finally worked. I kept at it. I should have let it dry in between tries and maybe it wouldn't have taken so long. Thanks for the tip.

About Me

I am the North American Product Director for Copic Markers, working at Imagination International, Inc. I have written 4 books on coloring with Copics in conjunction with Colleen Schaan. I used to design stamps for Our Craft Lounge. The things I post on this blog are my personal opinions or techniques I have come across over the years- I will try to give credit where credit is due. These ramblings do not necessarily reflect the general opinions of Copic Markers/Imagination International Inc.
my direct e-mail is marianne@copicmarker.com

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Copic Glossary

ABS/Airbrush System- Copic Airbrush System. Works with either a compressor or Copic aircans. Uses either Sketch or Copic Markers. 1234TroubleshootingAlcohol Markers- Copic markers are alcohol (ethanol) based dye markers, that are known for being low-odor and giving smooth, vibrant colors. Since they are a dye, they will fade in bright lights, but they are acid free on most surfaces. Anything with alcohol in it will react with these inks. Any Copic marker type is refillable with replaceable tips. They will not cause paper to pill when going over it many times, nor will they dissolve photocopies.

Color Saturation- This is the first digit on a color name. Colors that are 00's, 10's, or 20's will be more vibrant (B05, G16, R29), while colors that are in the 70's, 80's or 90's have more gray added (B95, BG78, G94) and are closer to the neutral/earthy end of the color spectrum. Note: E (Earth) markers don't necessarily follow this rule.

Color Group- A sequential group of colors within one color family with the same first digit (i.e. E30, E31, E33, E34, E35, E37, E39) where numbers ending in 0 are the lightest and 9 is the darkest, also called Natural Blending Group

Copic Certification- These are classes for teachers, store owners, or designers who want to learn techniques and advanced tips on using Copic markers, Airbrushing, etc. for papercrafting. Each class is about 7 hrs, and will be held regionally. Check here for listings of upcoming classes.

Spica Glitter Pens - also called atyou Spica pens. These fun, pigment based pens are filled with micro glass flakes, giving a very subtle, elegant sparkle. Keep stored flat, though if they are giving you troubles, try storing them point down overnite.

Various Ink- Also called Refill Ink or Re-inkers. Each bottle holds 25 cc's of ink. 322 colors available, empty bottle for mixing custom colors also available. Great for making alcohol ink effects, such as Faux Stone or covering large areas. When you see streaking in your work it's time to refill. You can refill directly from your bottle of ink, or you can use a booster needle. Try not to overfill.For refilling dry markers:Ciao- add 1 to 1.5 cc's ink Sketch- 2 cc's Copic 2-3 cc's Wide 3-4 cc's

Using this site for Classes

The content from each post is intended as tutorials and directions as well as useful information. If you would like to use these tutorials in a workshop you are more than welcome to, just give credit to this blog site and other suppliers mentioned in each post.

Thank You!

Marianne

Color Disclaimer

Colors on the screen do not match colors printed in color charts, and neither will match the marker colors in real life. To get a feel of what the colors will look like it's best if you get an actual color swatch.

To request a printed color chart, general catalog, Stamping with Copic Brochure, or Airbrushing with Copic Brochure you can e-mail orders@copicmarker.com (remember, printed charts aren't accurate)

Save a tree, get it digital!For digital copies of the above brochures please look through the Copic Library. Don't see what you need? e-mail me at marianne@copicmarker.com

Check the library also for refilling guides, airbrushing set-ups, and other useful literature.

Click here to purchase your favorite Copic Products

Books by Marianne Walker

These books are stand alone guides for anyone who wants to learn more tricks for coloring with their markers. All images to color are in the back of the book, along with color charts and guides. Each book is printed in English and Español SRP $9.95

Shadows & Shading: A beginner's guide to lighting placementThis book is for teaching you where to accurately put shadows and highlights when coloring with any medium. Includes clear lighting guides to help you plan where to place your shadows & highlights. Distributed by Copic/Imagination International, Inc.